2 Timothy 1:1-8 or
Titus 1:1-5
Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10
Mark 4:21-25
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WHICH DESIRE CONSUMES YOU?
"I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid on you. The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly Spirit, but rather One that makes us strong, loving, and wise." —2 Timothy 1:6-7
Most of us reading this are baptized and confirmed. Therefore, we already have the Holy Spirit living in us (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1303). This indwelling of the Spirit should make us ever more desirous to receive the Spirit in new and deeper ways, since the Spirit always seeks deeper union with the Father and the Son.
However, we could react to our present life in the Spirit by quenching any further desire for the Spirit (see 1 Thes 5:19). Thus, our attitude towards our Baptisms and Confirmations could be something like a vaccination, which makes us immune to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We must resist sloth and apathy and instead stir into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Tm 1:6-7). In this way, the Spirit will renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30), starting with us.
Do you want a deeper life in the Spirit more than you want anything else? Do you want the Spirit fully blazing in your life more than you want to breathe? Would you pray in an upper room for nine days to receive the Spirit more powerfully? (Acts 1:13ff)Would you suffer to receive and to share the Spirit in Pentecost after Pentecost? Pray to have a strong, consuming desire for the fullness of the Spirit. Ask God the Father for the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13). “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22).
Prayer: Jesus, be Lord and the Center of my desires.
Promise: "With the strength which comes from God bear your share of the hardship which the gospel entails." —2 Tm 1:8
Praise: St. Titus encouraged and enabled the ministry of others, including that of St. Paul (see 2 Cor 2:13; 7:6-7).
(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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